Head of User Centred Design (UCD)

Job Title: Head of User Centred Design

Band: 6

Salary: £72,771 - £80,776

Location: Liverpool/Newport/Norwich/Birmingham

Terms: Permanent

Hours: Full Time/ Compressed Hours

Closing Date: 26/01/26

Ready to deliver digital transformation with a national impact? Join our Digital and Data Services team to lead on high-impact digital products, implement our Data Strategy, and influence the adoption of new technologies like AI. Make your mark on public services. Apply today.

Job Summary

As Head of Product, you will be crucial in leading CCS’s shift to being a product-led, customer-focused organisation. You will recruit, inspire and develop a team of Product Managers, set best practices, influence organisational priorities, and collaborate across CCS and wider government to deliver value.

Directorate Overview

The Digital & Data Services (DDS) directorate is at the heart of CCS's digital transformation journey, responsible for delivering modern, efficient, and user-centred digital services that support over £30bn of public sector procurement annually. We're building a world-class digital capability that will revolutionise how the public sector buys common goods and services.

Team Summary

You will be heading up an expanding User Centred Design team that, when fully resourced, will include service designers, user researchers, interaction designers and accessibility specialists. We are building a culture that values user-centricity, experimentation and agility where team members will work closely with Digital and Commercial colleagues.

Key Accountabilities

• Provide visionary leadership and clear direction to the UCD community, fostering best practices in user-centred product and service development, and championing inclusive, accessible design principles. 

• Build strong partnerships with senior leaders and stakeholders to align UCD activities with organisational goals.

• Support, coach and mentor UCD colleagues at all levels, focusing on recruitment, development, performance management, and career progression 

• Champion ongoing professional development and a culture of learning and innovation within digital teams, the wider organisation and government, collaborating with other communities and leadership to advocate for UCD standards and the keeping customers at the heart of what we do. 

• Lead and guide team members, manage performance to ensure a high-performing team, and support staff development through regular feedback

• Lead on setting and raising standards for UCD across the organisation, establishing frameworks, policies, and performance metrics that drive consistent delivery of quality work that meet user needs and organisational outcomes.

Essential Criteria (to be assessed at application stage):

• Experience in influencing both design and organisational strategy and priorities 

• Strong ability to coach, mentor, and manage UCD professionals, overseeing recruitment, development, performance, and career progression.

• Expertise in applying user-centred insights and promoting inclusive, accessible product design aligned with government digital standards and the GOV.UK Service Standard.

• Skilled in building and maintaining collaborative relationships with senior leaders, stakeholders, and other communities to represent and advocate for UCD interests.

• Experience setting and raising standards for UCD within an organisation, including establishing frameworks to ensure quality and outcome-driven products and services.

Success Profiles (to be assessed at interview):

You will be assessed against the following Behaviours:

• Leadership 

• Communicating and influencing 

• Developing self and others 

You will be assessed against the following Technical Skills (Some of the below technical skills will be tested via a presentation at interview)

• Designing strategically 

• Applying user centred insights 

• Stakeholder relationship management 

• Agile research practices

 

(A link to the Civil Service Success Profiles Framework is provided below)

Success Profiles Framework

Assessment 

If you are shortlisted,  you will be asked to take part in an alternative leadership assessment. These assessments will not result in a pass or fail decision. Rather, they are designed to support the panel's decision making and highlight areas for the panel to explore further at interview.

You will also be required to complete a presentation within the final interview stage with more information to follow on this should you be successful

Please note that as part of this recruitment process, if you are unsuccessful at interview stage but are close to the benchmark score you may be considered for and offered a role at a lower pay band within the same job family.

What we will offer you, here are some of the benefits you can expect:

• Competitive salary 

• Generous pension scheme

• A discretionary non-contractual performance related bonus 

• Working remotely in addition to working in advertised office location

• Flexi time scheme (available for B1-B6)

• Minimum 25 days annual leave to a maximum service related 30 days excluding bank holidays

Explore fully how we will reward your work.

Want to make a difference? Find out more about the rewarding work that we do in our candidate pack.

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil ServiceD&I Strategy.

 

We want to make our recruitment process accessible to everyone, so if there is any way that we can support you, please contact recruitment@crowncommercial.gov.uk

Working flexibly, delivering outcomes

CCS is a flexible business with a smarter working model where our colleagues benefit from a mix of home and office working. Successful candidates are expected to work from one of the office locations listed. Our current office attendance approach requires a minimum of 26 days per quarter (approx 2 days per week, which may be subject to change) in CCS office locations or off site meetings with suppliers, customers, partners, networking / industry events. This is pro rata for those who work part time. Our smarter working principles mean that our people have the advantage of both office and offsite based collaboration and learning, as well as working from home. This way of working allows us to honour our commitment to being a responsible business, offer flexibility and better work life balance as well as ensuring we deliver our business with confidence and in accordance with our CCS values.

Selection Process

Candidates who are successful at sift will be contacted as soon as possible following the closing date and advised of the interview process in more detail. The sift will commence WC 26th January and interviews will be held WC 23rd February either at one of our offices or via video with interview times and dates to be confirmed. (Subject to change)

To find out more about our recruitment process please click here

Please note: Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action.  Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Complaints procedure

Our recruitment processes are underpinned by the principle of selection for appointment on merit on the basis of fair and open competition as outlined in the Civil Service Commissioners’ Recruitment Principles details of which can be found at http://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk

 If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles, and you wish to make a complaint, you should contact recruitment@crowncommercial.gov.uk in the first instance.

If you remain unsatisfied with the response you receive you can then contact the Civil Service Commission at info@csc.gov.uk